Service dog in audience chases actress dressed as a cat off stage

A service dog forgot he was at work and charged towards one of the characters during a recent performance of Cats.

The Broadway performance of the Andrew LLoyd Webber musical – which sees actors and actresses dress up as cats – was halted when the service dog leapt up from beside its owner and sprinted towards the stage.

Spies at the Neil Simon Theatre told Page Six the dog ‘got away from its owner and ran after [the character] Bombalurina, performed by actress Mackenzie Warren, during the opening number’ Jellicle Cat.

Luckily a fast-moving user intervened and ‘returned the wayward canine to its mortified owner’.

A spokesperson confirmed that the incident took place but added: ‘In the storied history of Cats, this is the first time one of the actual cats was involved in an incident with a dog.

‘We’re pleased to report that no animals or humans were harmed in the dust-up, and the performance continued without a hitch.’

Webber – the man behind a string of hit musicals including The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar – is publishing his autobiography ‘Unmasked’ before his 70th birthday in March next year.

His record-breaking musical Cats will play its final Broadway show on December 30.

Cats – which won a Tony Award for Best Musical – is based on TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

A teenager with a heart condition opened up about her service dog back in October, saying the pet had ‘saved her life’. While a campaign to stop hero dogs belonging to the Army being put down after their service was launched recently.